Designs

BIO

Karen Reisler is a lifelong New Yorker. After graduating from Barnard College with a degree
in Cultural Anthropology she did post-graduate design study at Parsons School of Design.
She then worked as a decorating and lifestyle editor at Ladies’ Home Journal; as a magazine
stylist for the NY Times Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Seventeen among others; as
a consultant for Laura Ashley Home; and as a decoration stylist for internationally acclaimed
fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo. Karen also worked in the studio of Tony Walton,
the Oscar, Tony and Emmy award winning set designer, which led to her set-styling for off-
Broadway shows. Ms. Reisler later developed her design career as an associate at Parish-
Hadley Associates, one of the nation’s premier design houses known for such projects as the
redesign of the Kennedy White House, before establishing her own firm in 1998. Her work has
been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Parents Magazine, Seventeen, L’Officiel
and Good Housekeeping.

Karen resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband and her chocolate Labradoodle, Atticus.

Karen’s style tends toward classic, elegant, warm interiors layered with sensual fabrics,
unexpected splashes of color, and the understated whimsy of an Hermès tie. She also likes
to incorporate the best elements of design traditions from around the world. However, she is
known for her openness to clients’ tastes and her ability to design in a broad range of styles. Her extensive experience working in diverse styles and her attention to detail, combined with her
flexible nature and sensitivity to clients’ needs, ensure a successful, collaborative experience.
Whatever style a client chooses, Karen enjoys helping them realize that vision in the most
integrated, harmonious and functional way possible. Karen brings to clients a talented, reliable,
team of artisans and craftsmen with whom she’s worked for years. She often collaborates with
them in to design and produce custom furniture and finishes as needed.

Karen has extensive experience in, and a special knack for, creating rooms for children and
teens, with whom she has a remarkable rapport. Through design meetings with them that they
find energizing, fun, and educational, she helps to create spaces that express their fantasies
and passions while ensuring that they meet practical needs. Her nurseries and teen rooms have
appeared in Parents Magazine, Seventeen, House Beautiful, and Good Housekeeping.